Locking means for bucket pins



Nov.'2s,1939. H. G. L. ECKART- v 2,181,125

LOCKING MEANS FOR BUCKET PINS Fil ed Jan. 29, 1938 Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNETE 'STTES orri LOCKING MEANS FOR BUCKET PINS Application January 29, 1938, Serial No. 187,737

In Australia December 11, 1937 4 Claims.

This invention has particular reference to the locking of the bucket connecting pins in bucket dredges or conveyors.

In bucket dredges the connecting pin through the back eyes of the bucket is free to rotate in the bushed eyes, so that the bucket may rock over the tumblers. The front bucket pin, which passes through the front eyes, is however locked against rotation in the eyes for the purpose of confining wear to the pin.

Many devices have been proposed for the purpose of locking the front bucket pin, but all of such devices which have been successful have also been relatively complicated and expensive to instal and maintain. Moreover, with all previous constructions, a T or L head to prevent'rotation has been provided on the pin itself, with which the locking device necessarily co-operates.

The bucket pins are particularly expensive, for they are formed of costly alloy, such as nickel chrome steel, and considerable forging and machining is necessary to produce the head thereon.

The object of this invention is to provide a locking means for the bucket pin which will be particularly compact, and efiicient in use, and which will moreover permit of a very considerable saving in the cost of the pins themselves, in that the head on the conventional pin is eliminated, along with the cost of the extra material of, and the machining and forging necessary in, such head.

In order to fully describe the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing which depicts a preferred form thereof, and a modification, and in which I Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typical bucket with the invention applied to the front bucket pin.

' Fig. 2 is an elevation of the front eyes and pin, with one eye in cross-section,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a front eye and the pin locking device, and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a front eye and a modified form of the pin locking device.

The bucket 5 has a back eye 6, and two similar front eyes I, l in which are mounted the ends of a plain pin 8 by means of which the bucket is connected to the adjacent bucket. The ends of the pin 8 finish flush with the outer surface of the eyes i, l and no head is formed on the pin.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 each eye I is formed on its outer surface with a longitudinally tapered slot 9 extending across the lower edge of the bore H] of the eye. Each end of pin 8 is formed with an I. recess H adapted to register longitudinally with the slot 9, but with the upper edge of the recess projecting slightly below the upper edge of slot 9, as seen in Fig. 3 and. for a purpose hereinafter defined. The lower surface of slot 9 is inwardly inclined, as seen in Fig. 2.

A wedge block l2, tapered longitudinally and having its lower edge inclined, both in conformity with slot 8, is disposed within slot 9 in engagement therewith and with the recess H in pin 8.

On being forced into position, wedge block l2 bears on the back and lower edge of slot 9, and. on both surfaces of L recess H in pin 8, and so locks the pin against rotation in the eye 1. As the upper edge of recess H in pin 8 is slightly lower than the upper edge of slot 9, the wedge block i2 does not bear on such upper surface of the slot, and consequently the wedge .block cannot jamb in the slot, but always locks on the pin 8. I

The inclination of the lower surface of slot 9 andwedge block l2 resists any axial movement of the pin. Each wedge block I2 is formed with a stem l3 which extends through an aperture M in a shoulder l5 formed on the bucket. The outer end of stem 13 is threaded, and on the side of shoulder l5 remote from eye 1, it is fitted with a nut M5 by which the wedge block is drawn into locked position. A look nut I1. is also threaded on the stem.

In use each wedge block i2 is engaged in slot 9 and recess H of pin 8, and is drawn tight by nut Hi to securely lock the pin 8 in relation to the eye I at each end, both with regard to rotational andaxial movement in the eyes.

As shown in Fig. 4, the wedge block I?! may extend across the center of pin 8. In this case slot 9 is on a diameter of the pin, and the side recess in the pin is replaced by a slot l8 which has the same cross-sectional shape as slot 9 in the eye I. Whilst they are in longitudinal alignment, slot I8 is slightly staggered in relation to slot 9 as shown in Fig. 4, for the purpose of preventing jambing of the Wedge block ii in slot 9 and with the result that the wedge block bears on the upper surface of slot l8 and the lower surface of slot 9 and so locks the pin 8 in the eye I. The wedge block I2 is fitted with a stem 53 and nuts l6 and H, and its operation is as abovedescribed.

The invention provides a particularly compact and efiicient lock for the bucket pin. These pins are of expensive alloy metal and have to be I replaced frequently. The saving in the cost of the pins by means of the invention is therefore very considerable over a period of operation.

I claim:

1. Locking means for bucket pins comprising a headless pin mounted in eyes in the bucket, an open-sided recess formed in one end of the pin registering with an open-sided slot in the associated eye of the bucket, a longitudinally tapered wedge block seating along one side in the recess in the pin and along the opposite side in the slot in the eye, complementarily inclined engaging faces on the wedge block and on the eye recess which prevent lateral movement of the Wedge block in the eye, and screw means for drawing the wedge block into locked position.

2. Locking means according to claim 1, in which the open-sided slot in the eye of the bucket is longitudinally tapered.

3. Lockingv means according to claim 1, in which the recess in the end of the pin is of L shape running out at the side of the pin.

4. Locking means according to claim 1, in

which the recess in the pin extends diametrically 10 across the centre of the end of the pin.

HARRY GEORGE LEONARD ECKART. 

